CENTERVILLE — A tow truck driver who allegedly pocketed money given to him by customers who were paying to have their cars removed from impound was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Weber County on a charge of communications fraud.

Joseph Allen Pass II, 32, Kaysville was arrested in Weber County on Tuesday, Aug. 19 and booked into the Weber County Jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest on a felony charge of communications fraud., according to Assistant Centerville Police Chief Paul Child.

A second tow truck driver, Cody William Kolp, 27, of Centerville cooperated with authorities and appeared in court on the charge.

Centerville police were contacted last year by Stauffers Towing. The company reported it appeared one or more of their drivers were pocketing money from customers, Child said. The company also manages Skyhook and Fast Tow companies and maintains a towing yard in Centerville.

The company reported they found at least six vehicles missing from the lot for which they had not received payment for the towing and storage fees.

Stauffers checked with the state that showed the releases had been obtained by the owners of these vehicles, Child said.

During the investigation it was determined that many more vehicles had been impounded and released but no money was turned into the company. Additionally there were some instances where a tow truck had been dispatched to assist a motorist but no money or record related to the service was turned in, Child said.

After reviewing the records it was determined that two employees of Stauffers were assigned to the yards and tow trucks associated with these incidents. The two employees were each issued a tow truck which they would take home so that they could be available for call-outs.

From the records, Stauffers was able to show that they had experienced a loss of at least $6297.50 dollars. The incidents spanned about a full year beginning in 2012, Child said.